Wanted
by zaybabinYES
Summary: 20 years old. College drop out. New York's best criminal. Maya Hart is on top of her game, but when a familiar face from her past emerges, everything begins to change. Lucaya fanfiction. Multi-chapter AU.
1. Chapter 1

**WANTED: MAYA PENELOPE HART.**

Ugh. She hated it when those jerks used her middle name; it was unflattering and completely unnecessary. However, it was quite amusing to her that the jerks thought that writing her name in bold letters and putting it on one of those boring cop TV shows was going to help them find her.

Stupid cops.

They don't know the first thing about finding people. If you let them know that you're out to get them, they're not just going to arrive at the station and turn themselves in. People aren't going to try and tackle a criminal in the streets and ensure that they get arrested. Criminals are dangerous. And so was Maya.

The cops needed to play the game. It's like a city-wide game of hide and seek; hide and seek had always been Maya's favourite game. She loved it so much that she hid away from all her friends, and she is still waiting to be found. Even if the game started 2 years ago when Maya had no other choice but to drop out of college.

Her grandma had fallen sick and Maya was the only one who could take care of her since Katy needed to work so she could earn enough money for them all to live. Now it's Maya's turn to make the big bucks. Ok, so her method of gaining money wasn't vey traditional, but it worked. Since Maya only had herself to pay for nowadays, it worked better than she would've ever imagined.

Maya picked up her coffee, spun it around in the paper cup and quickly drank the contents left in her cup. She didn't enjoy lukewarm coffee. She didn't really enjoy coffee at all, but on a night like tonight, a cup of coffee was completely mandatory. She slammed her cup back onto the table and proceeded to exit the diner with her hood up and her gun in her back pocket.

"First stop, NYC Mellon Bank" Maya announced to herself as she pulled her leather gloves tightly around her hands to ensure that no skin was visible. She was waiting in an alley about a mile from the bank, that way she could let her hood down for a few minutes.

It was around 6pm and surprisingly, it was already dark. Dark enough for nobody to notice Maya was hiding out in an alley anyway.

"It's now or never sport." She whispered to herself as she made her way out of the alley with her hood up and her head down.

The walk didn't take long, what took long was attempting to cross the roads of New York without getting killed. 6:30pm. _It's now or never sport._

Maya walked into the building and headed straight up to one of the many desks with those know-it-all bank workers stationed at it. She was in her zone. Nothing could stop her from completing this robbery. She had been planning it for weeks. And by that I mean she had been procrastinating for weeks. Now she was here, and there was no turning back.

"Hi, how may I help you?" The bank worker, or whatever they're called, asked. Ugh, they sound so robotic. So scripted. It was disgusting.

"Yes actually, would it be possible for you to-" Maya simultaneously removed her hood and reached for her gun, pointing it directly at the bank guys' forehead, "-give me all the damn money out of your machine."

As soon as people started to notice the gun, they panicked. Everybody was screaming and attempting to leave. Everybody was moving except Maya and the guy she had held at gunpoint.

Two shots were fired to the ceiling by somebody who didn't appear in Maya's view. Even Maya flinched from the sheer shock of it. Nevertheless, she looked back to the worker and gestured for him to start unloading the cash onto the desk in front of him.

"Alright, everybody get down, you're not going anywhere. Yeah that's right, you too Mr. Big Shot." A muffled voice shouted from behind Maya. She figured that the guy must've planned to rob this exact bank, on the exact same day.

How very convenient.

The worker had finally finished pouring the money from the cash register. Maya scooped the money into her duffle bag with one hand, her other hand was still holding her gun. She glanced around momentarily to see which 'bad bot criminal' had joined her tonight. He was wearing a mask. _Typical._ He looked in good shape though, and Maya was sure she could see a strand of brown hair peeking out from his mask. _Such an amateur,_ Maya thought. Nevertheless, he could probably carry more money than she could.

"Okay," Maya shouted, "This is what's going to happen here, and I'm gunna lay it down reaaaal quick for y'all-" She walked to the other side of the desks, and straight past the 'employees only' sign. She moved very slowly, the sound of her heeled boots connecting with the floor seemed to get louder each time she took a step. From her boot, she pulled out a knife. It wasn't very big, but it was sharp enough to do the trick.

She walked straight up to man she had just held at gunpoint, shot him a quick smile, and without missing a beat, she pressed the knife ever so gently onto the main artery in his neck. Everyone gasped, as quietly as they could. After all, it wasn't a good idea to show that you were afraid.

"-me and... that guy over there, are going to take some money, and you adorable people aren't going to move a muscle until we're done." She nodded over to the masked guy once again, he seemed to have understood what she meant as he quickly moved towards the desks and demanded money from all of the other employees. Maya's gun was pointing in the general direction of the bunch of people on the floor, just in case they got any ideas.

It didn't take the guy long to take the rest of the money. 3 minutes maximum. Maya was impressed to say the least. She threw the guy she was holding to the ground and smiled at the masked man.

"Shall we?" She smirked as they both walked out of the bank together. After all, she had to stay close to him, he had most of the money since Maya was stuck doing all the dirty work.

Robbing a bank wasn't like it was in the movies; the cops always turned up late, so there was no good chase scene to tell your friends. That was fine with Maya, she had lost her friends a long time ago anyway.

Maya threw her hood up and walked out of the building. They didn't bother to dash for the exit and run. It was simple really, the best way to look like you're innocent is to blend in with everyone else in the city. If nobody else in running, you're going to stand out enough for the cops to arrest you with no questions asked.

The casual walking had been brought to an abrupt stop as the masked man pulled Maya into an apartment building. It was evident from that point that this guy was stronger than he looked. He removed his mask whilst he walked up the stairs, however, he refused to look in Maya's general direction. At least Maya knew his hair was definitely brown.

Eventually, they made it to what Maya presumed was his apartment. "I'm going to be generous and allow this to be a 50/50 split." Maya smirked, trying to keep up her criminal character for as long as she could. The man still didn't turn around. "Dude if you don't look at me I'm taking the lot."

"Awh, is the bad, bad robbery man ashamed?" Maya teased shamelessly, however, her amusement was cut short when he finally did turn around.

Her game of hide and seek was over. She had lost.


	2. Chapter 2

"Huckleber-" Maya paused, she tried to catch her breath but it had well and truly ran away from her. "Lucas. What happened?" She whispered, if she spoke any louder she was afraid that he would hear the confusion and heartache in her voice. _He wasn't supposed to turn out this way,_ Maya thought, He was Riley's Mr. Perfect. He wasn't supposed to turn out this way.

Lucas cracked a smile, and for a split second, Maya saw the Lucas who would have never even thought about committing a crime. She saw Huckleberry. He slumped down on the couch that lay in the centre of the room.

"I guess you can't escape your past." Lucas finally spoke. He looked drained. Defeated. All his confidence had evaporated due to that one sentence. "Texas Lucas took over just after college started; nobody was there to turn me back into City Lucas."

Maya was always the one to calm him down when they were in high school; she was the only one in their friendship group who wasn't afraid of him. All it took was some form of contact and a soothing tone. He would relax under her touch instantly, she thought he would do fine on his own. She was wrong.

Out of all the emotions Maya should be feeling. Out of all the thoughts Maya should be thinking. The only thing Maya felt was guilty. _Nobody was there the turn me back._ Maya should've been there. She joined him on the sofa and turned to face him. "I understand. But you can't live like this."

"You do." Lucas met her stare. His eyes gave no indication about what he was thinking. All Maya could do was look at him. She looked at him and wondered: Where did my Ranger Rick go?

Maya and Lucas got back down to business. They were almost finished splitting the money by 10pm. It was safe to say that the night was a big success.

The door swung open, only to be quickly closed again by the one and only, Zay Babineaux. He didn't seem to notice Maya. He didn't really acknowledge Lucas either. But you couldn't really blame him, there was over $3million scattered around on the floor. Maya looked at Lucas in enjoyment as Zay stood dumbfounded by the money in the apartment.

"Isaiah Hank Babineaux." Maya said with authority. "You're a criminal too?"  
"Oh no." Zay laughed, "I just house the criminal, feed the criminal, and use the majority of the stolen money." He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I sound less innocent now I've said it out loud."

Maya couldn't help but feel guilty for all of this. She never wanted to see her friends be in the same position as her. It was always Maya who had the bad life, it was almost inevitable that she was going to become a criminal. But Lucas and Zay, they were supposed to go and change the world, make people laugh, fall in love with wonderful people and never look back. What happened?

"Well, it's nice to have caught up with you both again but now I've got to grab this money and get the hell away from here." Maya rushed to grab for her bag and began throwing as much money as possible from her 'pile' into the bag. Bot Zay and Lucas were completely perplexed, the Maya they knew wasn't this awkward. I guess the Maya they knew left as soon as she robbed her first bank.

"Your face is all over the news Maya." Lucas stood up, "They'll be searching every street within 100 miles of that building, you'll get caught as soon as you leave." Obviously Lucas was still an amateur, Maya never got caught, she was Maya freaking Hart.

Maya picked up yet another handful of cash and threw it into her bag before standing up and heading for the door. She couldn't leave though. Literally, she could not leave because Zay was stood right in front of the exit and Lucas' forearm was placed gently around her waist. Damn it.

"Move." Maya demanded. And that's exactly what Zay did. He danced on the spot for a short while until Maya rolled her eyes and smirked. It reminded her of Middle School, those days when life was easy. Just young, simple minded kids trying to figure out who they want to be in this world.

Lucas spun Maya around so she was facing him again. It seemed to bring her back to her current situation. "Maya. Do you even have a place to go?" Lucas sounded extremely concerned, it was weird to think that he still cared for Maya even though he hadn't seen her since High School.

"Pssh. Yeah. Of course I have a place to-"  
"You're lying." Lucas interrupted. Maya tilted her head slightly.  
"You don't know that." Maya argued, even though she knew it was pointless, of course she was lying, she was on the move all the time so buying a place was never really necessary. The streets were a safe enough place to sleep.  
"I know you're lying, Maya. Maybe if you stopped stroking where your friendship ring used to be I'd believe you."

The friendship ring. It symbolised the relationship of Riley and Maya. Maya lost it somewhere. Maybe it was for the best that she didn't have it anymore. It made her feel less guilty for leaving her best friend and never telling her where she went. Of course, Riley probably knew what Maya had done by now. It was plastered all over the media.

Stupid cops.

"Fine. So what do you want me to do Huckleberry?" Maya allows her bag to fall from her shoulder. Lucas' face lit up at the sound of the nickname he had come to love over the years. Zay made his way between the two, however, they still didn't break eye contact with each other.

"Looks like you're staying with us sugar," Zay placed a friendly hand on Maya's shoulder, "Welcome to the team."

Maya had made her way to the spare room to change into some old clothes the boys had dug out for her. Zay and Lucas were left in the main room, slumped on the sofa, trying to find something exciting on the TV.

"How did you pull off getting all this money? Did you rob the President?" Zay looked concerned. He could deal with small robberies, you know, the robberies that don't really get mentioned on TV. The ones that help pay the rent every month.

"Mellon Bank." Lucas laughed, "I wasn't planning on it, but as soon as I saw Maya... well I thought we could pull it off together." Zay shook his head and let out a heavy sigh at his friends soppy excuse. Lucas would never admit it, but he would do anything to help Maya. Zay grabbed the remote and began swiftly switching through the channels.

 **WANTED: MAYA PENELOPE HART.**

"Haha... Penelope."


	3. Chapter 3

Maya had called Lucas many nicknames throughout the years they had known each other. Huckleberry, Ranger Rick, Hop-a-long, you name it. But the one that Lucas couldn't stop thinking of was Mr. Moral Compass. He was such a good guy when he first moved to the city, now his moral compass is broken. _What happened?_ Lucas knew exactly what happened, but he wished it never did.

It was 4am, and Lucas was still on the couch. He was trying his best to distract himself from the overflowing thoughts trapped inside his head. _I wanted to be a veterinarian. Maya must be so disappointed in me. I went too far. Why do I always go too far?_

Well, at least he tried.

"Lucas?" The voice startled him, "You're still awake?" Maya. Of course it was her, Zay needs at least 10 hours of 'beauty sleep' to function properly the next day. Maya cautiously made her way to the sofa and sat with her feet up on the edge. Lucas directed a warm smile towards her and subconsciously began to pick at the sleeves of his jumper.

Lucas and Maya were never official. But they cared for each other. During high school, they spent every day together, Lucas would even stay behind after school to keep her company whilst she painted. She was an amazing artist. Lucas had hoped she had gone to pursue her dream after they all went their separate ways, however; when he turned over the TV one night and saw who she had become, he didn't know what to feel. He had lost hope for himself, just like Maya had lost hope for herself too.

"How could you turn out this way?" Maya asked, she looked troubled. It was a question Lucas wasn't prepared to answer.  
"I could ask you the same question." Lucas met Maya's gaze, she knew he was right. The past was a dark place for them both, and the future didn't look any brighter. Lucas believed that the better option was to never talk about the issues we can't change.

Maya raised her hands defensively. "Yeah, you got me, I am also up for interrogation," Maya dropped her hands and positioned herself so that she could face Lucas properly, ensuring that she leaned in close enough to intimidate him slightly. "So why don't you give it your best shot Buster." Lucas was silent; he was looking for something deep in her eyes, he wasn't sure what he was finding, but he knew he would know when he found it. His eyes took in every feature, searching for something he recognised. Above all, he was trying to believe that she was really here, Maya, his Maya. She had somehow come back into the twisted void his life had become.

Eventually, Lucas turned away, he didn't find what he was looking for. Maya waited for a few seconds before moving away from the boy she no longer knew. He could still see her from the corner of his eye, she was still staring at him. He wanted to talk to her, to tell her what happened, but he couldn't. She had changed too. Lucas would have to learn to trust her all over again.

"Lucas-"  
"You want some toast?" It wasn't the best response, but it was early in the morning and Lucas was working up and appetite. He could see the confusion in Maya's face as he walked over to the kitchen and started searching for the bread. "We have jam, butter, Nutella- we even have Marmite if that's what you really want." Lucas looked back at her, she was completely baffled.

"Fine." Maya moved from the couch to join Lucas in the kitchen. "If this is how you're going to play it, fine. I'll have butter." She folded her arms and leaned against the counter. All her curls were pulled away from her face and tied into a ponytail. Lucas had to admit, she was still as beautiful as she was in high school.

"I'm not playing anything." Lucas threw the bread into the toaster and kept his back turned from Maya. He figured that the best way to prevent having to talk about his emotions was to act like he didn't have any. Obviously, this was irritating Maya, but Lucas didn't have a choice.

"Lucas. Look at me." Maya demanded. Lucas didn't obey. He wanted to, but he knew that if he did he wouldn't be able to keep up the façade. Maya grabbed him shoulder, dug her nails in and forcefully turned him around so that he was looking at her. "I want you to be happy, you're not happy right now. Tell me what happened." Her voice softened. And that's when Lucas found what he was looking for. He found his shortstack of pancakes. The Maya, who didn't have the greatest family life, but still found hope. The Maya who wanted to become an artist. The real Maya Hart. Lucas was lost for words. "I-I um," he continued to stutter. "What happened was-"

 **DING.**

 _Saved by the toast._

He quickly turned back around and buttered Maya's toast. Once he had finished, he instantly walked out of the kitchen and headed towards his room. Lucas had learned not to trust anybody, and yet he was willing to tell all to Maya. He needed to keep his guard up. He needed to shield himself from everyone. Even Maya.  
"Lucas?" Maya shouted, she sounded hurt. Lucas stopped, only for a brief moment, before he continued his journey to his bedroom.

"The Lucas I knew was never this ignorant." Maya groaned, "The Lucas I knew-"

That was it. That was Lucas' breaking point.

"Well guess what? The Lucas you knew has gone, Maya. He left a long time ago. He's not here! So stop searching for him because you won't find him." Lucas shouted, he was surprised Zay didn't wake up. He was infuriated. The space between him and Maya was heavy. "The Maya I knew would've have a sarcastic comeback to what I had just said. But I guess she has gone too." Lucas stormed up to his room before he made the situation worse.

He quickly undressed and threw himself onto his bed. He squirmed until he was in a reasonably comfortable position.  
 _I wanted to be a veterinarian. Maya_ _is so disappointed in me. I went too far._

"I always go too far." Lucas whispered so quietly, it was barely audible, even at 4:45 am.


	4. Chapter 4

A couple of days later and Maya was still staying in the spare bedroom of Zay and Lucas' house. It's not that she wanted to stay; every time she had insisted she had to leave, Zay would convince her that leaving was a bad idea. She knew it was for the best but she never admitted it.

Maya and Lucas had not spoken to each other since their confrontation on Maya's first night. Maya wanted to speak to him, she feel partially guilty for his outburst and she wanted to apologise, but she was far too stubborn to initiate the conversation.

Stupid boys.

Maya was planning the next robbery. She figured that if she was trapped in the apartment she may as well do something productive. She figured that if she may as well do something productive. She pulled out a map of New York and started to pinpoint the positions of places that were worth stealing from; banks, wealthy companies and the streets of all the wealthy scientists and famous people.

 _Riley wouldn't approve of this,_ Maya thought. She thought about Riley a lot; it broke her heart that Riley had probably forgotten about her by now. Maya needed a way to make money, and now that she was a criminal, there was no going back.

"What's that?" Lucas sounded intrigued, he was leant against the door frame of Maya's room. Hastily, Maya pushed the map under he pillow, however, she was unsuccessful in her efforts as the majority of the map was still visible. She let out a sigh and retrieved the map once again, Lucas joined her on the bed. "Again? We just bagged ourselves $3million." Lucas protested; he fell silent when Maya rolled her eyes. It was funny to think that Lucas Friar was still scared of Maya. Maya Hart, just over 5 feet tall, could intimidate the fearsome Lucas Friar.

"It's not about the money, you can keep the money, I have a reputation to uphold." Maya stared at the map in front of her, it made her realise that she was never doing any of the crimes for the rewards, she was doing it because she didn't have anyone else to give her the attention she needed, so she relied on the media to fill that void. When did she ever become so lonely?

She was trying not to cry. She looked down at her map and tried to focus on where she should go next. Her eye sight was starting to become blurry. "Maya." Lucas turned so that his whole body was facing her, "You don't have to prove anything to anybody."

That was it. Maya had found her breaking point.

She pushed her head in to Lucas' chest, she could feel him shiver slightly as they first touched but she was too upset to question why. She cried for what felt like hours; in reality it was only 5 minutes. Lucas held her the whole time. He whispered soothing words and stroked the back of her neck with one of his hands whilst she released all the emotions she has contained for 2 whole years. For the first time in years, Maya felt safe.

It was weird how quickly Lucas and Maya had put their argument behind them, all it took was one small display of emotion.

Despite Lucas' initial objection, he decided to accompany Maya in her next criminal adventure. After all, Zay had spent a lot of the money they had stolen on new clothes for Maya, and for himself, of course. The had decided that they would raid one of the iPhone stores for some easy money before they planned their actual adventure. Even though it wouldn't pay as much money as their last expedition, but it was enough.

It was only an Apple Store, and yet Lucas insisted that they planned out what they were going to do. _Such an amateur._ The only time Maya would ever plan a robbery was if it was something big like an actual bank. Zay was in on the plan too, he wasn't in any way involved though; both Lucas and Maya didn't want to influence Zay to reach the point that they had. They both still had hope for Zay, he had an actual job and he was doing well for himself.

"So... you guys are just going to stroll on up, grab as much as you can and go?" Zay inquired, "That sounds like the most stupidest thing I've ever heard."  
"Oh no, Zay I think there's one thing that might top that." Lucas chuckles, Zay waits for him to continue, however, he doesn't. Maya does.  
"Most stupidest." She laughs, Lucas quickly joins in.

Zay smiles and walks into the kitchen. "The most stupidest thing I can think of is that they still act like that, and then they insist they don't like each other," he mumbles, hoping that neither Maya nor Lucas had heard him.

"So short stack, you're going to do all the talking?" Lucas nudged Maya's arm playfully. "You know, to keep up your reputation and all." Maya pushed Lucas back in response and tried her best to hide her smirk from him. She felt at peace knowing that Lucas was still someone she could talk to if she needed help. She felt a peace knowing that Lucas was still a Huckleberry.

"Well, I'd let you do that talking but I think you're better at being a hop-a-long." She turned to face him and awaited his response.  
"Oh come on, I joined in one time!" Lucas objected, "Besides, you wouldn't have pulled it off without me"

"Oh really?" Maya mumbled. She stayed extremely quiet for a couple of minutes. Lucas wasn't sure how to respond but he could feel the tension rising by the second.  
"Maya-"

Suddenly, Maya tackled Lucas and pinned him on the ground. She rested her knees on his arms so she could use her hands to gently pat his cheeks.  
"You don't think I can do things for myself Huckleberry?" Maya teased. Lucas rolled his eyes, he slipped one of his arms from under Maya's knee and pushed her backwards. Maya knew what was coming next but she tried to resist. Lucas began tickling her and she started kicking wildly.

"Lucas stop" Maya screamed, "I can't breath Lucas!" Lucas didn't stop. Maya began to kick more violently and laughed even louder. Little did the both know, Zay had been watching them for several minutes. He smiled and shook his head, _the most stupidest thing I ever heard._


	5. Chapter 5

The next day rolled around quickly. The day of the robbery. Lucas was scurrying around the apartment, trying to find his mask in preparation for the day ahead.

"Damn it." Lucas whispered under his breath, punching the wall beside him. He couldn't find the mask anywhere. Luckily, Zay was at work or Lucas would have been facing yet another scolding about Zay and his precious walls. _I can't do this if I can't hide who I am._

"Looking for something?" Maya inquired. Lucas didn't look at her and continued his quest to find his mask. Maybe if he had just looked at her, he would have noticed that his precious mask was dangling from Maya's index finger.

It took Lucas 5 minutes. Five whole minutes to realise that Maya had his mask. It would have taken him longer, but Maya's amusement was dying so she just threw the mask at him. Now that the fun was over, Maya and Lucas were sat on the sofa, waiting for 2pm to strike. 1:30pm.

Lucas was stroking the fabric of his mask; he was nervous but he would never admit it. He knew that as soon as him and Maya walked into that store, it would be official. He knew that the reality would set in. Lucas knew that as soon as they went in that store, he wouldn't be able to deny it anymore, Maya Hart wasn't the short stack of pancakes he once knew. But he wasn't the moral compass she once knew either.

Stupid cops.

 _But it wasn't the cops fault._

"Hey Huckleberry?" Maya broke the deafening silence. Lucas snapped out of his thoughts and turned his head so that he could meet Maya's gaze. "Why do you wear the mask?" Lucas wasn't prepared for that question. He knew he had an answer; he wasn't sure if it was an answer that he wanted to share.

Lucas smiled broadly, "Don't want my face to get cold whilst I'm outside." In response, Maya kicked him in the thigh, he did deserve it for not being honest though. He knew he had to tell her the truth, but he didn't know if he wanted to admit that he, Lucas Friar, had something he wanted to hide.

"Fine," Lucas started, he could feel the anger inside of him, but he was hoping it wouldn't show. "Sometimes I'm not particularly proud of who I am, and sometimes I want to hide this side of me like I used to hide it back in Middle School. Oh and sometimes I get scared that Farkle might turn on the news and see his old best friend doing something he promised he would never do-" Lucas stopped himself, but it was too late. He had let it all out. His fists were clenched, the tension circled the two of them as Lucas started to realise that he had shouted all of his feelings out. He had literally just shouted his emotions at Maya.

Maya looked shocked, but Lucas wasn't focussing on how shocked she looked. He was focussing on something else, something he could probably find if he looked into her eyes for long enough. He couldn't even begin to imagine how stupid he looked to Maya, he was too busy concentration on finding that one thing. He didn't know what it was, but he knew that he needed to look for something.

"You know, we don't have to go." Maya whispered. She placed her hand over his and waited for him to respond. She looked like she didn't want to go either. She looked like she knew exactly what was going on in Lucas' head. She looked like she knew-

And that's when Lucas found what he was looking for. _Maya Penelope Hart._ Suddenly, Lucas' phone alarm started to ring. He picked up his phone and looked at the time. 2:00pm. _It's now or never cowboy._

"Oh, we're going to that store." Lucas laughed. Maya smiled warmly back at him, grabbed her duffle bag and walked towards the door. Lucas made his decision. He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew that no matter what happened, no matter what he had to go through with Maya, she would still be the same Maya Hart if she spent enough time with Lucas.

Lucas figured that maybe if he started spending more time with Maya again, he would change her for the better. He would change her back to the Maya they all knew and loved. And maybe she would change him too. Maybe she could tame Texas Lucas once again. What's the secret of life? People change people.

 _Goddamnit Mr. Matthews._

2:15pm. They were right on time. Lucas and Maya were stood side by side outside the entrance. The store was emptier than they had both anticipated, this was either a major advantage, or a major disadvantage; Lucas hadn't figured out which one it was yet. Maya squeezed Lucas' hand and proceeded to walk into the store before them. As planned, Lucas waited outside for a couple minutes before entering. After all, he did have a mask on, they didn't want to make it obvious that they were there for the money straight away.

 _It's now or never cowboy,_ Lucas thought. 2:20pm. They had 10 minutes maximum to get in and out with as much money as they could. He pushed the double doors in front of him and stepped into an extremely awkward atmosphere.

"Ah, there you are cowboy." Maya smiled at him, she threw the woman she had held at gunpoint to the ground and walked over to him. "You missed all the action, now do me a favour and fill up you bag please, mine is extremely heavy as it is." She scrunched up her nose as smile smiled and she turned sharply on her heel so that her hair would fly over into Lucas' personal space. Just like old times.

"Well, I guess I'll just do all the boring work while you have fun scaring those guys a little more." Lucas waited until Maya looked at him once again, "Ma'am." He tipped his hat jokingly. However, his amusement was short lived, Maya had shot him a deathly look and he decided to just do what he had asked.

After Lucas had filled his bag, Maya and Lucas turned towards the door, Lucas looked at the clock above the exit. 2:21pm. _Nope._ Lucas reached for Maya's arm and dragged her back before she reached the exit. Without explanation, he turned on the TV and urged Maya to look.

 **"Police are now at the store where the two thieves are supposedly hiding. One of them is believed to be Maya Penelope Hart. She has been wanted for over 2 years but had managed to somehow stay under the radar... until now."**

The sirens were audible through the muffled noises outside. Maya was panicking, it was the first time Lucas had seen Maya break under pressure. He grabbed her hand and ran towards the back room, shutting the door behind them. Rapidly, he began barricading the door.

"I guess I didn't miss all the action after all."


	6. Chapter 6

"So what's the plan Huckleberry?" Maya whispered. Lucas could tell she didn't like the situation they were in, the room was so small their bodies were only inches apart from each other. Lucas smirked and looked for the vent he saw on the maps when they had planned the robbery. Finally, he found it.

"You're so lucky you're small enough to fit in there." Lucas gestured towards the vent to their left. "You follow it and turn right as soon as you get the chance, eventually you'll be led to the side of the building, open the vent and climb on top of the roof. They won't look there. When they leave, go home, I'll be there." Lucas subconsciously grabbed Maya's hand and stroked it gently.

Lucas slipped off his bag and gave it to Maya, he could tell that she found it heavy but he also knew she wouldn't want to leave any penny behind. Lucas broke the eye contact with Maya and started taking the chairs he had used to barricade the door to stack in front of the vent. It took him around 10 seconds maximum.

Maya walked up to him quickly and stared at him blankly. "Hahurr." She whispered.

 _...Maya?_

The rattling of the chairs brought Lucas back to reality. Maya was safe, Lucas smiled and shut the vent behind her, now he had to get out of the store. He looked around for something he could use, some sort of a sign. He figured that there must be something he could do, criminals escape all the time... _in the movies._

And then it hit him. All he had to do was take off the mask and take a jacket from whoever was stupid enough to stay in the store whilst Maya and Lucas were talking. He threw his mask on the ground and pulled the rest of the furniture away from the door. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to barricade the door after all.

The sirens were extremely loud by now. Lucas knew he only had a matter of seconds. He swung open the door and stared at the people in the store, nobody had ever seen him as a criminal before.

"You." Lucas pointed to a man with an extremely large coat on, "Coat, now." Afraid, the man obliged. Lucas grabbed the coat and threw it on, sitting on the floor to blend in with the others. "If you all rat me out, I will hunt down every single one of you. Understand?" Everyone nodded as the were too scared to do anything else.

The front door burst open. Everything that happened was a complete blur. Sirens. Cops shouting at everyone, they searched everywhere. They shouted at everyone. Their guns were visible, some cops even having them in their hands. They were prepared to shoot at Maya and Lucas. _They were prepared to shoot at Maya._

Lucas hoped he had made the right decision. He hoped that Maya wouldn't get caught. Lucas hoped for a lot of things, but he couldn't help but think that he had done the wrong thing. His fists were clenched, he couldn't shake off the idea of the officers wanting to hurt Maya. Why would they want to hurt her?

The crowd of people were allowed to leave; some cops were asking people for eyewitness statements though. Lucas was one of the people who was selected to give a statement. _Typical._ All he had to do now was pray that nobody ratted him out.

He was outside, leaning on the side of a police car, a very arrogant and unimpressed police officer glared back at him. You would've thought the man would have been more sympathetic to Lucas, after all, he had just been the witness of a robbery. It was traumatic.

 _Stupid cops._

"So... What did you see?" The officer grumbled, he didn't want to be there and neither did Lucas. The question was so vague that Lucas was dying to give him an extremely sarcastic answer. He ignored his sweaty palms and decided that sarcasm was the best option at this very moment. Maybe it was because he was still worried about leaving Maya, and he really didn't have time for ignorant cops when he could be finding Maya.

"Oh, I don't know officer. I've seen a lot of things today." Lucas folded his arms. He knew that he shouldn't have said it, and maybe he would've regretted his decision. Maybe he would've regretted his decision if the more friendly looking officer hadn't pulled Lucas aside to speak with him. Lucas wasn't sure whether the officer looked friendly, or if he just looked familiar.

 _...Maya. Where's Maya? I don't have time for another scrutiny. I need Maya. Dammit. Why didn't I go with her? Is she safe? Why am I worrying? She's Maya Hart. She's Maya Hart. And Maya Hart needs to be safe... Maya?_

A million thoughts circled Lucas' mind. A million unanswered questions. A million things he couldn't say to the police officer right in front of him. The police officer with the dark eyes and the scruffy hair. Most officers looked the complete opposite to this guy. Come to think of it, Lucas had never encountered this cop before. 

"Ok, Friar we don't have a lot of time so listen quick." The cop said whilst he pulled Lucas to the corner of the shop. Friar? How did this guy know who he was? "This is what you're going to do, Maya is still on the roof, she's going to leave when we leave. You're going to leave right now, and you're going to buy Maya something nice and you're going to trust me."

The officers voice was low, he sounded as worried as Lucas was. Lucas was so confused, he has always thought the cops were stupid. So why was a cop the one that was helping them out right now?

Lucas needed answers before he left. "Why are you helping us?" Lucas furrowed his brow, he knew he should just accept the help but his curiosity had another thing in mind.

"All I'm allowed to say is that he doesn't agree with what you're doing, but you have to figure out your own life. You have very loyal friends, and I owe the man my life. Be safe Lucas, run." And Lucas did exactly that.

 _He? Who's he?_

All Lucas could do was wait. He had to wait for Maya to get back. But it was killing him that he had to leave her behind. He shouldn't have trusted the cop. Nobody trusts cops.

 _Stupid cops._


	7. Chapter 7

It was 4pm and Maya was still on the roof. She wouldn't admit it, but she was too scared to check if the cops had gone. She had seen Lucas talking to an officer earlier, she was worried he was going to get arrested; she didn't look long enough to check where he had went.

Heavy breathing. Heart pounding. Maya felt as though she could feel every single drop of blood moving through her veins. With every breath she took, she could feel each oxygen particle travel down to her lungs. Maya was good at avoiding cops, but she had never been this close to being caught. She couldn't distinguish whether she felt adrenaline or pure fear.

"Maya." A voice whispered, but it wasn't Lucas' voice. The voice was scarily familiar, Maya felt her stomach concave. She didn't want to turn around and see who had joined her on the roof. _But I have to look..._

Maya turned to look at the voice; when she did, she wasn't sure what to think. A cop. Definitely a cop. But this cop wasn't just a cop. This was Josh Matthews.

 _Dammit._

Maya slowly crouched down to find the knife in her boot, not breaking eye contact with Josh the whole time. He was a cop after all, Maya needed to protect herself. The silence surrounded them, the longer the silence continued, the bigger the tension grew.

Josh started laughing, that laugh that made his teeth shine brighter than anything Maya had ever seen. She tilted her head slightly, she was confused. _Why wasn't he shooting already? Why am I not in handcuffs yet? How did Josh get the police gig in the first place? What's going on?_

"Maya, I'm not here to arrest you." Josh laughed as he cautiously walked towards Maya, pausing between each step he took. "I work for someone, someone you know, someone you should thank. Without him you would've been locked up a long time ago." Josh leant against the billboard that Maya had been hiding behind for the last hour and 30 minutes.

 _Someone I know? I don't know anybody anymore. I should thank them? Why would I thank them when I'm still the worst person in New York._

Maya was still crouched down, she didn't know whether she should pick up her knife or not. She didn't know whether she could trust Josh anymore. _He could be lying. He could be getting back at me for leaving Riley. He could be-_

She snapped herself out of it. This was Josh Matthews. Mr. Matthews brother. Riley's uncle. This first boy she felt strong feelings towards. Nowadays she doesn't know what those feelings were. At the time, Maya thought that she liked him; now she wasn't so sure that's what liking someone was supposed to feel like.

"Who's this mystery dude that's helping me out? What does he want from me? Because I don't have much to give to the guy. I don't even have a house-"  
"Maya." Josh laughed, "Chill out, you don't owe anyone anything. Except... you owe the bank a few million, and this shop a couple hundred."

Slowly, Maya stood back up, with no knife in her hand. She looked straight ahead, something was telling her that she couldn't face Josh anymore. She wasn't proud of who she was, but she did what she had to do. Maya figured that seeing Josh again would soften her; he came from a whole family of good influences. She didn't need a good influence anymore.

 _You don't need a good influence and yet Lucas had already changed you. You don't need a good influence but you know you're going to go back to Zay's and question why you're still a criminal. You don't need a good influence and yet you want Lucas in your life. W_ _hat's the secret of life?_

"Dammit Matthews." Maya whispered. A smile grew on her face, Maya turned to address Josh. "So, who's the guy you work for?" Maya knew he wouldn't tell her, but it was worth a try.

"I'm not allowed to say much, but he did tell me to tell you that he knows this isn't you. And he knows that, in the end, he hopes you make the right decision. He said hopefully your paths will cross soon." Josh said slowly, trying to remember every single word.

 _It can't be..._

"You work for-"  
"Yeah. Believe it or not." Josh smiled, he started to walk off, Maya guessed that he had said all that he had to say.

"Thank you." Maya shouted, Josh turned back to face her. He smiled and gave her a cheeky wink. It was a wink, and yet it was in the most innocent of contexts, it was a friendly wink. A wink to say hello and goodbye. A wink to say that maybe their paths will cross again. Something to say that maybe in a different lifetime, they wouldn't have to see each other in a situation as bad as this one.

"The coast is clear, wait 5 minutes, then go home. Be safe." Josh spoke, and even in his uniform he spoke to Maya as a human. Sometimes Maya wished she could be like Josh, to accept people for whoever they were and still treat everybody equally.

As soon as Josh was out of sight and climbing down the side of the building, Maya slumped down and sat on the floor. She didn't know what to do with all the information she had just found out. The information that she knew she couldn't tell anybody.

 _Out of everybody I thought was looking over me, I would've never thought that it was him. I can't believe Josh is working for him. I always believed in him and yet, I never thought he was going to be that powerful. He's changed the world._

5 minutes passed and Maya was eager to get back to the apartment. She grabbed the two bags and threw one over each shoulder. It was heavy but she could handle it. As soon as her feet hit the floor, Maya threw her hood up and tried to act as subtle as possible.

As soon as the door closed to the apartment, Maya threw the bags on the floor and walked straight to the kitchen. She grabbed a bag of popcorn and headed for Lucas' room. She sat down on his bed beside him and looked at the television in front of her. She could heard him talking but she didn't know what to say. The questions hung in the air because Maya didn't have the answers.

"We did it Huckleberry." Maya smiled, she looked at Lucas, who stopped questioning her as soon as she spoke. Lucas smiled back, and for a moment, Maya completely forgot who she was. She forgot that she was a criminal, she forgot that she had a bad life. All she remembered was that she was a short little stack of pancakes.


	8. Chapter 8

The morning after a robbery is the worst. You want to know why? Because all the adrenaline has disappeared, and you remember who you truly are. A low-life criminal. That's how the media describes it. Nothing but a bunch of losers that will never amount to anything in life.

This morning after was the worst one Maya had ever experienced. She had found out a lot of important information during the robbery, and she wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do next. Should she tell Lucas? Did she actually know who Josh was working for? After all, he did cut her off before she could confirm her suspicions.

 _Is it him? Is he the reason why I've never been caught? But what if it isn't him. He probably doesn't even remember me. Who else could it be? Who else would want to send me a message like that? Who else is successful enough to have Josh Matthews working for them? Should I tell Lucas? But what if I'm wrong. What if it's actually-_

"You look a little troubled." Lucas was sat across from her in the kitchen, they had just drank a celebratory coffee together. She looked up at the man in front of her. _Lucas Freaking Friar._ A smile grew across her face, out of the 5 close friends she had in her childhood, she never expected Lucas to be the person she would still know.

 _And Zay... of course._

"I'm fine," Maya smiled. "I'm just waiting for this coffee to kick in before I start my day. Where's Zay?" She subtly attempted to change the conversation. Ultimately, she failed.

"Nice try short stack. What's on your mind?" Lucas raised his eyebrow. He looked extremely attractive when he did that; he looked so cheeky and he just seemed like he had Maya all figured out. Maya loved the idea of people figuring her out because it usually meant that they had stuck around long enough to understand her.

"Oh but if you really are asking about Zay, he's still asleep." Lucas added, "But I'm pretty sure there's something else going on up in that mind of yours because you're doing that thing again." He pointed to Maya's hands, her fingers were stroking over the place where her friendship ring once was... again.

 _Dammit Riley._

"Did a cop talk to you yesterday?" Maya inquired, she looked at the table, observing every line and every dent. For some reason, she couldn't look at Lucas. She didn't know how he would react if she told him that someone they once knew was still looking out for them. _What if it makes him turn into Texas Lucas?_

"Yeah. Actually, I talked to two. The second guy looked really familiar though. Honestly. He didn't even look like a cop. He looked more like a regular guy going to a fancy dress party as a police officer." Maya noticed that Lucas was rambling, she didn't mind though. In all honesty, she found it rather cute.

"Did that guy remind you of- oh I don't know- Josh Matthews?" Maya now decided to analyse her fingernails in great detail. _Damn, I need a manicure or something._ She could hear Lucas' mind process the new information. _Boy, was he going to be in a shock when I tell him the rest of it._

"W-What? That was-. He was-. Why was he helping us?" Lucas finally spoke. It was obvious that he was confused. He sounded like he had just been punched in the stomach. _Or thrown off of a bull._

Maya disregarded her unappealing nails to finally looks at Lucas. His fingernails were trying to claw into the table, but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't work. _He needs a manicure too, Maya thought._

His hands slowly began to form fists. She could see how the overflow of emotions was changing Lucas, they were manipulating him, they were telling him to go back to being Texas Lucas. Not because he was angry; because he didn't know how to react.

 _Nobody was there to turn me back._

Maya was here now. Maya needed to stop this. She jumped from her chair and swiftly walked over to where Lucas was sitting. Her hand made it's way to his shoulder and she sat down on the table in front of him. He looked at her for a split second. Maya immediately knew what Lucas was feeling. Worry. Regret. Nervousness. Guilt.

"Lucas, look at me." Maya whispered, the hand had once placed on his shoulder was now cupping his chin so that he had no choice but to look at her. "It's fine. Everything is fine. Josh is working for someone we know, I don't really know who, but he was told to help us out and that he did. It shocked me too- Lucas. Keep your eyes on me. I promise you everything will be okay. Everything. You hear me? Ranger Rick. You're okay. I'm okay. Zay is having the best sleep of his life, he's okay. Nothing is going to change that. Nothing."

Maya now had both hands on Lucas' face, she knew she should probably let go but she didn't want to. She wanted to know Lucas was okay. She wanted to know that Lucas was happy.

Lucas relaxed under Maya's touch and let his head fall into Maya's hands. She gently ran one of her fingers over his cheek and watched as his hands unclench. It filled her with relief, she was glad she could still help to change him back to the Lucas he wanted to be. The Lucas he wanted to be wasn't Mr. Perfect, Maya knew that, but she also knew he didn't want to be as violent as he once was.

"You two seriously need to stop making us lonely people feel even more alone." Zay walked through into the kitchen. Maya removed her hands from Lucas' face, however, she stayed sat on the table. Lucas looked up the Maya and smiled, he silently mouthed the word 'thank you' to her.

But it was Maya who needed to thank Lucas. He showed her that she still had control over some things, and that the old Maya was still there. He showed her that being there for someone is the most satisfying thing in the world. He showed her that she was good at something, calming people down, talking to them.

Without even knowing it, Lucas had given Maya hope.


	9. Chapter 9

You know those days where you feel like you've hit the lowest point in your life? You know, those days where nothing seems to be going right and it feels like you're on a downwards spiral to the pit of shame and regret. Those days when you knew that nothing was ever going to be the same for you and yet, you just didn't want to attempt to make it better, because that's just too complicated. Have you ever felt like you have to play the role of the bad person because, if you didn't, you wouldn't know who you're supposed to be? Have you ever felt so incapable of doing good because you always get yourself into bad situations?

That's how Lucas had felt for the last 2 years of his life.

Well, that's how Lucas had felt until he found Maya again. It was then, in the most adrenaline fuelled moment of his life, that he decided that sometimes, doing bad things didn't make you a bad person. Ok, so it does make you a bad person in some peoples eyes but Lucas had only ever done these bad things for other people. He chose to rob that bank with Maya that night because he wanted her to have enough money to get her by and he knew she wouldn't be able to get as much as she wanted to get on her own.

 _..._ plus he really wanted her to be a part of his life.

"Hey bro, do you want me to cook today?" Zay walked into Lucas' room. Isaiah Babineaux . He had always been there for Lucas, always. 20 years of life and Zay had been the one who had stepped into every new situation side by side with Lucas. Zay had seen Lucas go into his downward spiral, he didn't like seeing him the way he was, but he never stopped him. Lucas didn't know why Zay didn't stop him, but he knew that Zay always had his best interests at heart.

 _A guiding hand that has your best interests at heart._

 _Dammit Mr. Matthews._

Lucas had never really had one of those, well he didn't think he did. His parents were very busy people so as he got older, he couldn't really go to them with his high school problems and whatnot. Zay had always been that figure for him, and yet he was still understanding enough to let Lucas figure out what he needed to do on his own.

"No, it's ok man, I'll cook if you want. You've been working all day so I may as well." Lucas smiled back at his best friend, who was gleaming back at him. A heavy sigh of relief came from Zay as he sat down on Lucas' bed and kicked his feet up.

"I am so glad you said that. This man needs his beauty sleep." Zay closed his eyes and placed his hands underneath his head. Lucas could tell he was exhausted, sometimes he forgot that Zay worked and did everything he could to help them go unnoticed by the police. Lucas moved from his position and went to prepare dinner.

"Oh and Lucas? Remember that Maya is here too, cook her something up too." Zay shouted after Lucas.  
"How could I forget?" Lucas shouted back whilst chuckling to himself.  
"Guys I have this brilliant idea! It's called standing next to each other and stop with the damn shouting already!" Maya shouted from her room, however, it merely sounded like she had spoke the words from where Lucas was standing. Her anger was shortly followed by both the boys laughing at her annoyance.

He could get used to this. The banter. The three of them getting along well. He could get used to it being the three of them now. He liked this, this feeling of family. This feeling of... _home._

Surprisingly, Lucas made an extremely nice meal, all three of them had decided to sit at the table and eat together. They were all warming to the idea of spending time as a trio, however, Maya was adamant that she was only sat with them because it took too much energy to walk back to her room.

It was silent at the table, but it was comfortable silence. That type of silence that comforts you and lets you know that you should feel safe around the people around you. Lucas liked to think that it was quiet because Zay and Maya were enjoying his food so much they didn't have time to talk.

As soon as Maya had finished, she moved from her chair and immediately went to make everyone a drink. Everything felt so natural. It felt like this was the way it had always been. All three of them, wearing the least flattering clothes possible, living under the same roof and being there for each other. She placed the coffee's down in front of Zay and Lucas and then went back to make her own.

"Why thank you, Maya." Lucas smirked as she poured the milk into her coffee. Sarcastically, she smiled back at him and rolled her eyes before she proceeded to make her coffee. Her free hand ran through her hair, Lucas couldn't tell whether she was doing it because she was stressed or if she genuinely had hair in her face.

"I've been thinking," Maya turned around with her coffee in her hands, leaning against the kitchen counter.  
"That's dangerous." Zay blurted out, Lucas found it quite funny, however, Maya's expression indicated that Lucas shouldn't laugh. She threw a teaspoon at the back of Zay's head and it connected with an audible thud. "That is also dangerous." Zay responded without missing a beat.

"Anyway," Maya cleared her throat, that is how Lucas knew it was serious. "I have an idea, and I know you will both object to it at first but I think if you really think about it and listen to my explanation then I really think you might change your-"

"Maya. Breath." Lucas said out of concern, her eyes were fixed on the floor and she was subconsciously playing with her friendship ring like she usually does when she is nervous.

"I think we have one more robbery left." Maya declared.

"Well, if Lucas is up for it then you two can go do your thing." Zay smiled whilst filling his mouth with food.

"You're coming too Zay." Maya laughed awkwardly.

"W-W-What?"


	10. Chapter 10

It was safe to say that the boys weren't enthusiastic about Maya's idea. Actually, they were the complete opposite of enthusiastic. Maya could understand why they weren't so happy about the situation, after all, nobody wanted Zay to get hurt, but if she told them why they were going... then that would ruin the surprise.

 _Stupid boys._

"If we're going, Zay stays here." Lucas declared, he was leant against the wall closest to the door, and the furthest away from Maya. She knew how much he cared for his friend, and how much Zay didn't want to become one of them, _but if they only knew that this wasn't a robbery at all..._

"He has to come with us or we don't go at all."  
"Oh so I'm actually relevant to this story now?" Zay announced sarcastically.

 _How do I politely say we're not going to a damn robbery we're just breaking in to a very rich persons house that we know and that we need to talk to him before he moves to Mars or something and never comes back?_

Maya decided that there was no polite way to convince the boys to do anything. They were very much set in their ways and she knew that, in their minds, this was a big deal. Maybe she could tell them a little more about what they're getting themselves into.

Maybe Maya would tell them, if she had a chance to speak.

"I don't want Zay to be like us, he loves his job. He doesn't need to do this. Please don't make him do this. I'll go. But please just don't make Zay go, Maya. I mean, he doesn't even know the first thing about-"

"-and neither do you Huckleberry." Maya chuckled, even though she knew that it wasn't the right time to be joking around. She let out a heavy sigh and ran her fingers through her hair once again. "What if I told you, it's not actually a robbery? It's more like a breaking and entering. Think of it as us visiting someone from our past."

Maya could see the curiosity filling in the boys' eyes, they wanted to know so badly who this person was but there was no way Maya was going to tell them who it was. She couldn't tell them who it was; she knew Lucas wouldn't agree to it if he knew, he's too ashamed of who he has become.

Maya acts like she doesn't see it, the look on his face when he thinks nobody is watching him, the more frequent bouts of anger because he doesn't know what to feel anymore, the fact that his posture had gotten progressively worse since High School because he isn't as proud of who he is anymore. She sees it all, and she desperately wanted to tell him that she's there for him and that she knew how he felt, but she just couldn't.

 _Hide and Seek was always Maya's favourite game._

She knew she couldn't stay here forever, that wasn't how her story was supposed to end. Throughout Maya's whole life she was told that life wasn't going to turn out the way she wanted it to.

 _Maya can never be happy. She has an awful life. At least you're in better shape than Maya. Don't use big words correctly, it's not who you are._ Maya never used to believe that words could hurt her, that was until she started her game, and her thoughts were quick to consume her like she was the freshest piece of meat they had ever seen. This was the life she was destined to lead.

The boys had agreed to Maya's plan. Well, it wasn't much of a plan, she still didn't know where this person lived. She pulled out the map from underneath her pillow and observed every single line, circle and caption that she had previously written on it. _Upper class avenue. Gotcha._

Of course, that wasn't the actual street name. Maya had never explored the area enough to come up with a more fitting caption either. She always saw it as more of a 'danger area' because they're the people with the high tech security systems that Maya hadn't figured out yet.

"Knock knock." Zay walked through into her room. "I just wanted to ask you a few things, if that's cool with you." Maya pulled her map closer towards her so that Zay could sit on the bed with her, he shuffled over and laid across the space he was given, ensuring that he used the whole space.

"Ok so, who is this person from our past? Is it Cory? Like I know that Cory was our teacher and he was like a father figure to you and everything. Is he going to teach us a life lesson? Is that what is happening? Oh or is it Shawn? See I never really knew the guy but he seemed so cool like the whole lone wolf type of guy. He helped you too, he got you into all them stylish clothes near the end of Middle School and he helped you to see how good your mom was and-"

"Do you ever take a breath?" Maya laughed, Zay's speech literally sounded like he was an excited child getting ready to visit Disneyland. "This isn't about me Zay, if this was about me, I wouldn't have asked you to come. What those guys did for me helped shape me as a child, and as a friend, and I will always be grateful for that."

"Soo... that's a maybe on Cory?" Zay pushed, he was never one to hold back what he was thinking and Maya respected that. She responded by dropping her head and laughing, her eyes glanced over the map. "I'll take that as a yes." Zay smirked and left Maya alone, once again.

Maya had been across the whole of New York and yet she had always avoided that area. _Why?_ Did she know? Did she subconsciously know that he lived there? Why had she never ventured around that place? It was aggravating her that she didn't know the answer. She didn't know the answer to much anymore. All she knew was that she had to get to that house.

 _Then when he helps change them for the better. I can leave them. They can be happy. The game restarts._

But how could she leave when everything felt so right? Everything she did made her feel more at home. Like the fact that Zay walked in her room to bombard her with questions, it felt so natural. Maya felt at home. Why couldn't they make this easy for her?

 _Stupid boys._


	11. Chapter 11

Lucas and Maya had not talked to each other all day. They were sat in the exact same room as each other, and yet, nothing more than a 'hello' had passed either of their lips. Lucas didn't really want to disturb her, she had her head buried in Zay's laptop screen. Presumably, she was finding out more about this mystery person they were supposed to 'visit'.

 _Trespassing was closer to the truth than visiting. Does this person even want us there?_

Lucas moved so that he could lay down comfortably on the sofa. He continued to shift the weight of his body from one side to the other; he just couldn't get comfortable and he didn't know why. Suddenly, a two cents coin landed in his lap.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Maya said, however, her eyes were still glued to the laptop screen.  
"What does that even mean?" Lucas laughed, he had never heard that saying in his life.  
"I give you a coin in exchange for what you're thinking. It's simple really."

 _But what do I tell her?_ Lucas thought. _That ever since she walked through our door this place has felt a little more like home? That I've got a bad feeling about this 'visit' but I'll do it to make her happy. Do I tell her that I miss watching her draw and create art? Does she still create art? And why was Josh Matthews helping us the other day? What did he say to Maya? Oh and who the hell is this 'mystery-_

"You know, that penny means you tell me your thoughts, so stop letting your mind go wild and tell me the first thing that comes to mind." Maya laughed, throwing yet another penny into Lucas' lap. "Now you have to share two thoughts for being so slow."

"Fine." Lucas stared at the ceiling and let out a resounding sigh. "First one, where the hell are you getting all these coins from? Second one, that's the most stupid saying I've ever heard. Two cents isn't even enough to buy anything."

He tried not to laugh, he tried so damn hard not to laugh so that Maya would think he was being serious. He pursed his lips and held his breath, his foot was shaking violently as he tried to contain his amusement.

Silence. Even the sound of Maya typing had disappeared. He wanted to see what she was doing, but he decided against it as he figured that she was probably just staring at him like she was going to kill him, and that would definitely make him laugh. He squeezed his eyes shut while he anticipated her reply.

He felt the weight across his hips. He opened his eyes to see the blonde beauty sat on him. Her eyes were studying him. Lucas knew what she was trying to do, she was trying to find out what he was thinking, she used to be able to figure out what he was feeling before anybody else could when they were in high school, and she wanted so badly to be able to do that once again.

 _But that's in the past now, right?_

"Oh Huckleberry, Huckleberry. I'm so upset that you don't wanna play along." Maya teased, she was speaking in a quieter than usual, Lucas found it extremely attractive, he loved it in a way he didn't think was possible. A smirk grew across Maya's face as she proceeded to pick up one of the coins laying on Lucas' stomach. "Shall we try this again?"

She offered the two cents to Lucas once again and he took it. "Lets play," Lucas announced. He reached out to grab Maya's hand whilst his other hand rested behind his head. He saw Maya silently mouth the words 'oh no' before he decided to continue, "I don't really know much anymore, so my thoughts are usually hard to explain, but I do know one thing. Ever since you walked through that door, I felt safe, even if you was ready to kill me for dragging you up here. I mean, you make this place feel like a home, and I don't know why. All I know is that you're here now and it still feels like a dream."

His words were soft and sincere. Everything he said was true, and he never knew how to word it until that moment. Throughout the whole of the confession, his voice stayed at a whisper, he didn't need to be any louder.

Maya was blushing uncontrollably, she looked like she was trying her best to hide it, but Lucas didn't want her to hide it. His hand made its way to Maya's hair as he brushed her hair away from her face. She looked back at him with eyes full of adoration and _... worry?_ Lucas picked up one of the coins and held it in front of Maya's face.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Lucas smiled broadly. Maya stared at him, realising that he was playing her at her own game, she snatched the coin and rubbed it with her thumb and finger.

"Oh that's funny because what I'm thinking right now, like right at this very moment, is actually that-" Maya stopped rubbing the coin and leaned closer to Lucas so that she could whisper into his ear, "-you're such a douche."

Lucas tried to move Maya from her position and ultimately, he pushed her on to the floor. He felt bad but her face was priceless. His laughter filled the room as he turned to look at her to check if she was alright. In response, she threw the coin at his face and sat up from her position on the floor. She rubbed the back of her head whilst Lucas simultaneously rubbed the part of his nose where the coin had hit him. Lucas was proudly wearing a goofy smile on his face as he looked over at Maya, she met his gaze and rolled her eyes at his immaturity.

"You're so lucky that you're a Huckleberry."

 **Knock Knock Knock.**

 _Who the hell is that?_


	12. Chapter 12

_The cops. It must be the damn cops. Zay isn't even back from his ballet class yet... we can't answer the door! We're the ones they're after._

Lucas and Maya were frozen, staring at one another. Neither of them knew what to do, waiting for the person to leave was their only idea.

 **Knock Knock Knock.**

Maya's head turned to the door, and she almost immediately noticed the peephole. They have a damn peephole, Maya could just see who it is before they made any decision. Slowly, she began to walk to the door, the knocking was constant now, the person sounded like they were getting progressively aggravated.

Maya eventually reached the door and tiptoed to look through the peephole. _Is that...? No, never mind, she wouldn't come here. Would she? No, nope, definitely not._ She may have been unsure about who the person was, but one thing Maya knew for certain was that the person was definitely no cop.

"If this is who I think it is, I may regret opening this door. On the plus side we're not getting arrested." Maya smirked at Lucas before she turned to open the door. She didn't wait for the girl to speak, instead she just grabbed him arm and gently pulled her in so that she could immediately close the door once again.

"Well that was welcoming." The girl laughed, She had acknowledged their confusion and proceeded to explain her arrival, "Zay said I could crash for a couple days until I find a new apartment, what Zay didn't say was that he was housing New York's favourite criminal and Lucas Friar."

The girl had hair that finished just before her shoulders, her lips were plump. Her cheekbones were extremely defined, it was enough to fill Maya with envy. She was gorgeous.

"Wait. How do you know my name?" Lucas enquired, "Wait. How do you know Zay?" Maya could tell that he was baffled by a new arrival in his home, it was evident that he wasn't comfortable with visitors.

 _Here it comes..._

"Lucas. I'm actually quite offended that you don't recognise me, like sure I cut my hair but-"

"It's Missy freaking Bradford." Maya interrupted, she couldn't take the anticipation anymore, she just knew it was her. Maybe growing up too quick was a good thing for her, because she grew up to be beautiful. "I didn't even know you knew Zay." Maya immediately changed subject because she knew Lucas didn't know what to say. He was gawking at Missy, his eyes filled with admiration.

"He's my ballet teacher, well, we're sort of a dance team now but there's still a lot he could probably teach me." She didn't seem to care about how awful Maya was to her in junior school, and in high school for that matter. They had encountered each other several times in high school and it never ended well for Missy. No, they didn't physically fight, but their arguments were very heated and personal. "Oh, and don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Missy smiled.

"What secret?" Lucas asked, he had finally snapped out of his trance. _Wow, who knew Huckleberry was so slow._  
"She's a wanted criminal-" Missy began.  
"What? Did you think that just because we- I haven't robbed a bank in the past week or so that I would be off the hook Huckleberry?" Maya ended, she laughed at Lucas placed his head in his hands for being so oblivious.

Her amusement was cut short by none other than Missy Bradford, who was staring at her with a knowing look.

"What?" Maya pressed, she was uncomfortable, she thought that Missy knew something that Maya didn't and she didn't like it.  
"Oh, nothing." Missy smiled, trying to act oblivious, but failing miserably. "Just, oh you know, it's just that you still call Lucas by those nicknames and, it's cute."

 _Cute? They're just names. What else am I supposed to call him? Lucas? That's boring. What is she getting at here? Why is she still here?_

"I wouldn't have her call me anything else, well, except all the other nicknames that she's created over the years." Lucas was enthusiastic, his attention was on Maya even though his words were directed at Missy.

Later that night, when Zay had finally made his way home, all four of them sat in the living room. Missy and Zay were sharing the sofa whilst Lucas sat on the armchair. Maya was on the floor, leaning on the very armchair that Lucas was accompanying. She was drawing, Zay had bought her a sketch book and way too many pencils. Well, it was Lucas' money, but Zay went out to buy it for her.

"So, do you ship it?" Zay whispered to Missy, Maya wasn't really sure what a 'ship' was but she knew that Zay constantly used to talk about them in High School.

"Of course I ship it." Missy laughed, "Despite all the conflict we had, I want her to be happy, and she looks really happy here." Honestly, they weren't the best at whispering, Maya could hear every single word. Every. Single. Word.

 _What the hell was a 'Lucaya'? Is she still here?_

She was too focussed on her drawing to ask them about their weird conversation. Her first piece in a long time was almost finished, and she didn't want to mess it up. It was a simple first piece, just the scenery of the room, and everyone in it. Nothing she hadn't done a thousand times before. Maya angled her drawing so that she could show Lucas, in response, he gleamed at her and placed his chin on her shoulder to take a closer look.

"You're a great artist Maya, whatever happens, don't stop drawing." Lucas whispered, not like how Zay and Missy did, he whispered so quietly that Maya wasn't sure if he had said it or if she had imagined it. She wasn't sure if he had said the words or she just felt them. Her neck tingled where his breath stroked her neck, it was the most innocent of gestures that made Maya admire Lucas. That made her whole body shiver in a way that was both satisfying and exhilarating.

"Lucaya is definitely going to happen." Zay stated to Missy.  
"What the heck is a Lucaya?" Maya and Lucas shouted simultaneously.  
"Oh, you'll figure it out soon." Missy laughed.

 _How long is she staying here?_


	13. Chapter 13

It had been a full week and Missy was still living with the trio. Maya had slightly warmed to the idea, but something about the whole situation made her feel uneasy. Lucas didn't seem to object to the idea, Maya thought it was because he was getting a lot of attention from Missy when Zay wasn't around. And Zay? Zay was delighted, it was the happiest Maya had ever seen him, he was even happier than when that Vanessa girl from Texas asked him for ice cream in middle school.

"Hey Maya?" Missy spoke, her short hair was messy, and yet, it was still picture perfect. Maya didn't understand how it was possible, it was like Missy didn't have the capability of being anything less than perfect, even for a minute.

That's why Maya was so uncomfortable, there must be something she was hiding.

"You just walked into my room, is that a thing now?" Maya was bitter, she had been secretly bitter for the whole week. Today was the day that Maya decided to let it show, she had nothing to lose anyway. The only thing that mattered was getting Zay and Lucas to 'the mystery man'.

 _Then I can leave, and they'll be safe. Hopefully they'll reform too._

Missy was taken aback by Maya's comment; not taken aback enough to leave though. Instead, Missy took a couple more paces into the room. She was very cautious of Maya, every movement she made was hesitant. It amused Maya to watch someone be so intimidated, she felt so powerful.

"I'll knock next time. Sorry." Missy whispered.  
"What do you want?" Maya asked, she didn't have much time to waste on small talk, she had a lot of research to do.

"Well, Zay was telling me about this guy that you know, and the fact that you three are going to go to-"  
"Isaiah Babineaux." Maya shouted. She was angry, and apparently that was evident since she heard Lucas teasing Zay in the living room.

"Hello honey nugget." Zay nonchalantly leaned against the door frame. Despite him trying to act cool, his nervous disposition was evident. Maya turned her attention back to Missy. "You might want to leave the room for this." Maya smiled as Missy obeyed. Zay slipped into the room as Missy closed the door behind her.

"What the hell Zay? Do you tell everyone our business? Next you'll be waltzing up to a police officer and telling them you live with two criminals!" Maya took a deep breath and attempted to contain her anger. "Why did you tell Missy about the house we're going to visit soon?"

"She forced me to!" Zay pleaded. "I said, 'do you wanna hear a great Maya story?' and she said yes." _I am surrounded by such idiots. This is never going to work if she knows about it. I don't trust her. I never have._

"Get out before my knife finds your throat." Maya whispered, it was an empty threat, Zay knew that. Maya made sure she said it with a mixture of disappointment and understanding so that Zay didn't take the threat too seriously.

Zay walked out, and to Maya's surprise, Lucas walked in. "You just had to make this a square dance, didn't you Huckleberry?" Maya teased. Something about seeing Lucas made her feel content, the feeling scared her.

"Only if that square dance is with you, Ms. Hart." Lucas smiled and offered out his hand. He was giggling stupidly, knowing that he had challenged Maya. She looked at him with a quirked eyebrow and folded arms.

She wanted to resist the temptation, but she was never one to step down from a challenge. Eventually, she smiled at him fondly and gave in to his game. She grabbed his hand, and as soon as she did, Lucas pulled her close and started dancing, ballroom style.

"This isn't a square dance Ranger Rick." Maya laughed and they drifted around the room effortlessly. "I know I'm no country girl but I know a square dance when I see it and this isn't a square dance."

"Well then you should know that I can't hold you this close in a square dance." Lucas whispered, his voice had deepened and it sent a faint tremble through the whole of Maya's body.

 _If only I didn't have to leave. If only I could get my fairy-tale happy ending for once. If only..._

Maya abruptly pushed Lucas away and broke off the contact. She couldn't hurt Lucas, she knew that if she continued living with them, she would hurt him in the end. They needed to make that visit much sooner than anticipated.

"Maya. What's wrong?" Lucas tried to sound unoffended by he sudden distaste for him.  
"Nothing, I just have a lot to figure out before we go and visit our old friend." Maya smiled, "I have to make a quick phone call, can we trust Missy to hold down the fort while we go to find out more about this mystery person?"

"Yeah I guess so, I mean, Zay trusts her so she must be fine. Who are you calling anyway?"  
"The only police officer that isn't trying to throw us into a cell." Maya answered. Lucas ran out of the room to inform Zay about what they were doing tonight, and to ask Missy if she was able to stay at home.

 **Hello, Joshua Matthews speaking.  
** "Meet us at the café next to where you saved our asses."  
 **Maya? What time? I'll clear the store so you and Lucas don't have to be all incognito.  
** "I appreciate it Matthews, we will be there in an hour. I need some clarification."  
 **Yeah that's cool, he told me you'd probably need to see me again, I wasn't exactly specific last time.  
** "Could you do me one more favour, Josh?"  
 **As long as it isn't killing anybody, I can probably do it.  
** "I need you to tell me anything you know about Missy Bradford. Like if she has a police record or whatever."  
 **I'll do my best. See you and the boys in an hour.**

 _I hope this is all worth it,_ Maya thought.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note:** Hey guys! I'm sorry I haven't uploaded in like two weeks (that might not seem a long time but honestly I don't like leaving you all without another chapter for too long) I've been trying to sort myself out mentally and since my exams are coming soon I've had no time to write. I hope you guys like the general direction of the story and I'd love to interact with you all more! I know a lot of people in the reviews have their ideas about who they think the mystery man is but if you have any other ideas or queries you would like to ask me personally about you can inbox me. Thank you for reading this guys I didn't know whether it was good enough at the start but you all gave me hope :)_


	14. Chapter 14

**Coast is clear, whenever you're ready, just walk on in.  
** "We're already here buster, turn around."

Maya watched as Josh spun round confused, trying to find her and the boys.  
"Oh, I didn't even know." Josh laughed and sat across from the trio, trying to remember exactly what his boss had told him.

It was uncomfortable, seeing Josh without the rest of the Matthews clan following closely behind him. Obviously he had his own life and his own career path but Maya had never been in a situation where she planned to see Joshua Matthews alone. She loved all the Matthews, but Uncle Boing wasn't the one she deeply needed to see.

"Where do we start?" Lucas asked, he kept shifting in his seat and Maya wasn't sure if it was because he too was uncomfortable or just because the seats were really cold.  
"Wait why am I here again?" Zay looked at Maya, but she didn't return the stare because she knew his question would be answered as soon as Josh opened his mouth.

"Ok, so you all want to know who I'm working for right?"  
"It's Cory!" Zay shouted enthusiastically, "tell me it's Cory I've got a bet with Lucas and I don't want to lost $50 to Mr. I-can't-ride-a-sheep."

Maya elbowed Zay, she wanted her answers and there was no time for being unprofessional. In any other situation, she would have laughed along with Zay and bullied Lucas about his tragic mutton-busting days. Josh laughed at the immaturity of the adults facing him. It was funny to think that the people across from him could just pick up where they left off after not seeing each other for so long. It was almost like they had all put their lives on hold until they found each other once again, so they could grow together.

"Zay. What does Cory work as?" Josh asked.  
"A teacher." Zay said, not fully understanding the question.

 _A teacher. Cory already has a job. Now I can strike him off for sure._

Maya proceeded to scribble down a name of who she thought the man was on a greasy napkin that had came with Zay's burger. Cautiously, without showing neither Lucas or Zay, she pushed the napkin over to Josh and waited for him to turn it over. Maya believed that it didn't take a genius to find out who it was, but apparently the signs weren't as loud as she had once thought since the boys hadn't caught along.

"Bingo." Josh smiled. "I knew you had it, and I also know you've been searching for his house, and his achievements and his-"  
"Hacked into Zay's laptop?" Maya smirked. In response Josh lowered his head and mumbles something that sounded like an apologetic 'yes'. It wasn't exactly legal to hack into a computer system without reason. "Matthews you dog!" Maya laughed. The Matthews family never did anything wrong, so obviously his reasons for hacking them must have been important.

"Anyway, I'll give you the address if you promise me to visit him within the next two weeks."  
"Deal!" Zay smiled, he seemed a little to giddy for someone who didn't really like the idea of crime. So Josh scribbled down the address and pushed it back towards Maya.

"You have a message from him." Maya stated, she knew that asking wouldn't have been necessary, of course the mystery man had something to say, it adds to the mystery of it all. The same reason Batman wears such an outgoing suit, not just to protect his identity, but to add to the dark and mysterious vibe he gives himself.

"Yeah urm..." Josh spoke, he spoke for what seemed like a long time but Maya wasn't listening much. She was looking at Lucas, he hadn't spoke all night and she couldn't decipher why. It was probably a whole bunch on reasons, which was why it was harder for Maya to figure out exactly what was going on inside of that pretty head of Lucas'.

 _Is it because of Josh? His memories with Riley? Oh God he still hasn't stopped liking Riley has he? Does he just have beef with Josh? Is it something else completely? Maybe some football team somewhere lost, or maybe he forgot leg day. Oh! Maybe..._

Maya noticed the all-too-familiar hand movements that Lucas was doing. Rubbing his fingers together and trying to find anything to keep himself occupied.  
 _Nervous. But why?_

"Maya." Zay clapped in front of her face to bring her back to reality. It took Maya a few seconds, but she came back around, and she focussed her thoughts again on the task in hand. "Ya'll need to quit with the staring. Staring at one another at the same time. You looking at him when he's not looking. Him looking at you when-"

"Ok cowboy reign it in a little." Maya said, trying to disguise her embarrassment and replace it with a bitter exterior. "Josh. I told you to get me one more thing. Do you have it?"

"Oh. Yeah. She came up in our system. Just a few home robberies. Nothing we needed to be concerned about. You're the top robber in these parts so that Bradford was never really seen as a concern." Josh rambled, every word as oblivious as the one before.

Maya shot Lucas a glance, but he didn't return it. Instead, Maya grabbed Zay's phone and quickly dialled Missy's number. She put it on speaker and nudged Zay, indicating that he was the one who was supposed to speak.

 **Hello? Zay? What time are you all going to be back? I've got dinner waiting.  
** "Hey Missy, have you been steal-"

Maya hung up the phone. "Don't tell her we know... Besides, she's not against us, she wants in."

"Well, that's my cue to leave." Josh smiled at the trio and then turned his attention to Lucas. "Dude, this is the right thing to do and you know it. There's nothing fishy about all of this, if that's what you're worried about. Trust me." Lucas forced a smile in response, it was painful for Maya to see Lucas genuinely unhappy, there had been few moments in her life where she had seen it, and it still didn't sit well with her.

 _I want him to be happy._


	15. Chapter 15

Maybe it was just Maya, but Lucas had been awful quiet ever since they met up with Josh. It was 3 days after they had saw him and Lucas had hardly left his room, and when Zay or Missy went to check in on him, apparently all he would do is smile. A fake smile probably. Maybe it was just Maya, but something felt wrong. And she was determined to find out why.

She finally cracked and went to speak to Lucas herself. Obviously, she was the one who sent Zay and Missy in to talk to him throughout the past 3 days but they didn't seem to be getting anywhere.

"Knock knock." Maya sang, "Housecleaning for Ranger Rick!" _Keep it light, keep it happy, get the information later._ Lucas was sat on his bed, staring at nowhere in particular. Maya grabbed a cloth from her back pocket and rubbed it in Lucas' face playfully. It definitely helped Maya get Lucas' attention.

She hopped on the edge of his bed and swung her legs back and forth. She remained silent, and she knew it made Lucas grow more and more curious by the second. All she had to do was wait until he broke and asked why she was there. In the meantime, she observed everything in the room. From the framed and signed baseball shirt, to the empty water bottle that Lucas hadn't moved for several days.

 _Stupid boys._

"Are you waiting for me to start the conversation?" Lucas smirked.  
"Maybe I am," Maya spoke nonchalantly, "Or maybe I'm just waiting for you to skip the small talk and tell me why you've been acting weird recently." Her legs stopped swinging and she turned to look and Lucas. "The squad isn't the same without a Huckleberry."

 _The squad isn't the same without a ray of sunshine like Riley either. The squad isn't the same without Farkle either, dammit what a genius he was._

Lucas sat up straight, making himself look more powerful than he actually was. He did the usual movements with his fingers, the same thing he did every time he was even the slightest bit nervous. It was cute. Maya liked the fact that she could notice things about Lucas, she felt like it gave her more insight into Lucas that nobody else had. "I just don't like the whole 'meeting and texting Josh all the time scenario'" Lucas muttered.

"What? Why? It's only J-"  
"He's not Riley, Maya." Lucas exploded, "You can't expect him to be your good influence like Riley was! If you haven't noticed he's breaking the law!"

 _He was right, he isn't Riley. But he's the best Matthews we've got right now. Maybe he still needs Riley. I still need Riley._

"Maybe he isn't Riley. But guess who he is? He's the only person who can help us until we go to that goddamn address. He's a Matthews, they're still a good influence. If you haven't noticed, we live in a house full of criminals! All of us! Even Zay is classed as a criminal in the eyes of the law!" Maya's voice raised louder and louder the longer she spoke. Why did she feel the need to defend Josh? She was only using him to get to- "Do you know what? You're just mad because it wasn't Riley."

Maya had uttered the words before her mind had processed them. It wasn't what she wanted to say at all. The bitterness of her words left an awful taste in her mouth. She couldn't look at Lucas, she didn't want to see the hurt in his eyes, or the anger that he might be building up because of Maya's outburst.

"Yeah, you're right-" Lucas spoke, his voice was merely louder than a whisper. _Oh god..._ "-but I don't need her for the reason you think I do, Maya. She was a good friend. She was our good influence. I'm not in love with her, I'm- never mind."

 _Fool! I can't believe he knew that I thought that! He just saw right through me..._

Maya finally looked at Lucas. She didn't know what to expect when she looked up. She definitely didn't expect to see him looking back at her, but he was. He looked troubled, maybe a little secretive. It was the most puzzling look Maya had ever seen.

"Fine." Maya sighed, letting out a slight smile whilst doing so, "But that still leaves one question unanswered." Lucas started to shift in his seat, Maya could tell he was uneasy with the situation. "Woahhh there cowboy, reign it in a little."

"All I was going to ask was: Why have you been isolating yourself these past three days? It's been weird without you, I've been the complimentary third wheel to the Missy and Zay love story." Maya joked, she figured that the best way to get Lucas to confide in her was to keep the conversation as light hearted as possible. Her comments gained her a smile from Lucas. The most innocent smile, it was so simple and yet full of hope.

"Honestly? I don't know. I'm just so confused about this whole situation, I needed some time to think about it." Lucas shrugged. "Where are the other two?"

"Downstairs probably."

And that was the end of the topic. Maya did try to remain on subject but it was like Lucas wanted to talk about anything but the situation, and Maya was never one to push too far.

Zay and Missy weren't downstairs at all. They were right outside Lucas' door, observing how both Lucas and Maya interacted with each other. The thing they both noticed the most was that neither person could keep their hands still, it was such a small thing to observe but it was so weird to think that Maya freakin' Hart and Lucas freakin' Friar were... nervous around each other? It was slightly awkward to watch but they just couldn't look away.

"Do you think they like each other?" Missy whispered to Zay.

"I always have."


	16. Chapter 16

_Tonight was the night. Tonight had to be the night,_ Maya thought. Missy had decided to go on a weekend away out of town, and this might be the last chance they have. Maya grabbed the napkin that Josh had kindly wrote the address on and ran down to the kitchen to join Lucas and Zay.

"Hey guys," Maya smiled, waving the napkin at them. "You ready to change your life?"

The boys were allowing the anticipation to consume them, the hairs all over their body stood to attention. _Amateurs._ But they weren't the only people who were nervous, Maya didn't know if she was ever going to see this apartment again. If everyone went to plan, she would go back to her game, she would go back to hiding, and the boys would be given a second shot at adulthood.

"Well, personally, I've had enough of this mystery dude stuff. So lets go!" Zay jumped up and walked towards the door of the apartment, slowly followed by Lucas. Both of them trying to shake off the fear they could not explain.

Maya tried to find the house as fast as she could, but all the streets looks the damn same. All these houses were to Maya was a thief's paradise.

"All I'm saying is, I'd be a lot less nervous if you just told me who this dude was," Zay protested. "What if this whole thing is just a big plot leading up to my death?"

"Do you really think Josh Matthews would be helping people plan murders? That's too much paper work for cops like him." Lucas tried to joke, he really did try, but he was too fearful and his voice stayed monotonous.

It took Maya no longer than 20 minutes to find the house, Zay's excessive complaining really encouraged her to search quicker. Obviously, he lived in the most aesthetically pleasing house in the neighbourhood, Maya couldn't believe she didn't notice it before.

The first thing she noticed was the sign above the letterbox, _'Long live the Nation'_. It was so painfully obvious to Maya what he was referencing, but it seemed that only she knew.

The boys were stood in awe at the beauty of the house, it was something they could only ever dream of living in. They were too focussed on what was happening on the surface to notice all the small clues the man inside had strategically placed outside, _stupid boys._

Or maybe Maya was too busy looking into things that she missed the bigger picture completely, they only thing they knew was that they would only ever found out by going inside.

"Are you two done catching flies or do you want to stand here for a little while longer?" Maya laughed and the boys suddenly snapped out of their daze.

"Uh sure I'm ready." Lucas scratched the back of his head, mildly embarrassed about how fascinated he was with the house?

"Wait we have to go in there?" Zay was confused, he had never been in a house that was so wealthy and posh. Heck, the only person he ever knew that was rumoured to be rich was-

"Yes we have to go in there!" Maya smiled and lead the way to the front door, passing by a lawn filled with flowers and perfectly positioned goose statue.

 _It's now or never sport._

Once they got to the doorway, Maya came to an abrupt stop. What exactly was going to happen when they walked through this door? The unknown was a scary place for Maya, and the unknown was staring her right in the face. Maya enjoyed being the person full of mystery, however, she didn't enjoy not knowing what lied behind the door.

All she knew for certain is that she had to leave after the boys were helped, her things were already packed in the apartment in preparation for her sudden departure. But what if the person who was only inches away from reuniting with her told her not to? Did he still have such a big influence on her like he used to?

"So, do we ring the doorbell or do we just walk in? Are we allowed to just walk in?" Zay asked.

"I've got a feeling that if we just walk in, we will find the dude in a big, leather chair. Stroking his pet cat and saying 'Ahhh I've been expecting you'" Lucas, again, tried to joke, and this time, he succeeded.

"This isn't the movies Lucas," Maya laughed.  
"I'm just saying!" Lucas lifted his hands in defence, "He has been expecting us for like, the best part of two weeks if you think about it."

"Well... I don't know about you two but I prefer being indoors so lets go!" Zay grabbed the handle and strode through the door shouting, _'Honey I'm home'_. Maya and Lucas followed, taking in their surroundings and wondering where exactly the man would be in the house.

They decided to split up and search the house quicker, Lucas scoured the bottom floor, Zay seemed to be partial to looking around the second floor since he saw a games room he just had to try out. That left Maya with the top floor.

It was impossible to believe that one man owned so much stuff, it was impossible to believe because Maya quickly figured out that he wasn't the only one living in the house.

She was looking through one of the bedrooms when she figured it out. The walk in wardrobe, and another wooden wardrobe in the same room, and at least one of them was full of clothes that weren't his. The smell of a cologne and a perfume colliding with each other intoxicated the room, two very contrasting and yet so similar smells mixed together to create something beautiful, it was like a work of art.

But the ultimate thing that helped Maya come to her decision was a photo frame on the bedside table. There were two people in it, it was a recent photo, Maya could tell since there was still colours that didn't settle properly together, and the corners were clean and in no way wearing. The only reason that photo would be there was because they both lived here.

Maya picked up the photo and gently ran her little finger over the two faces, damn she missed them both so much, and she was so close to meeting at least one of them. Tears were forming, she could feel them in her eyes, threatening to release if she looked at the photo any longer- but she couldn't look away.

"Maya! Zay!" Lucas called, "Found him." His voice sounded ecstatic, Maya was so glad that he was pleased with who had been looking out for them all this time. She didn't want to keep them waiting, so she propped the photo frame back up where it belonged before running to join them.

As soon as Maya saw him she pulled him in to a tight embraced and whispered ' _I'm sorry'_ repeatedly. After he calmed Maya down, they pulled apart from each other and all four of them were smiling.

"Well, first of all." He cleared his throat. "Haaaah!"

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_** _Hey guys! I am so so so so sorry about how long it took me to update! I am in no way abandoning this fic, however, it may take me longer to update in the next 3 months as I have extremely important exams coming up and almost all my time is dedicated to revision and trying to do as well as I possibly can in them. I hope you are all pleased with who the mystery man is, and I have a lot planned for the next chapter, hopefully lots of your questions will be answered or confirmed in that chapter! Thank youuuu!_


	17. Chapter 17

"Second of all," The man continued. "Sit down, none of you are going anywhere until we talk about this." He was hurt, that much was obvious to anybody, but he was also relieved to see his friends again. After all, the clique six isn't the same when half of them aren't there.

"We missed you buddy." Lucas spoke through his unmoving smile.  
"Yeah Farkle, movie night hasn't been the same for years." Zay laughed as he pulled the two boys into a group embrace.

 _Maybe they won't notice if I leave now._

Maya had already started walking backwards towards the door, but as she turned to face the way she was going, she instantly froze. There was a frame, probably the biggest frame in the house, and in it was a photo which dates back to the first day that Maya and Riley met Farkle. _At least Riley finally wifted her head._

"Maya-"  
"Huh?" Lucas wiped a tear away from Maya's cheek and let his hand rest there afterwards. She didn't even realise that the photo had affected her that much, of course it affected her that much, they still cared for her. They still cared despite the fact that she pushed them away and did all the stupid things she has done since.

"They will always care for you Maya, obviously Farkle can't speak for Riley, but deep down you know she still cares for you too". Lucas whispered. Maya let herself lean into his hand and feel his warmth, there was something so soothing about his touch, his voice, him.

Eventually, the pair joined Zay and Farkle in the living room. Well, it resembled a living room. There were so many rooms in the house that Maya didn't know what to call them.

"Ok so I know you will all have a lot of questions or whatever but I'm sorry I have to talk first, I just have to talk first." Farkle rambled on, not taking a single breath as he spoke. "Why did none of you tell me as soon as things went bad? We were a team, all of us, with unbreakable friendships and ways to solve anything no matter what. What happened to you? Maya? Lucas? Zay? Because I don't know. Yes, you heard correct. I, Farkle Minkus, do not know what happened. As soon as you committed your first crimes I attempted to decipher why you did it and what had happened to make you resort to crime. I tried to justify what you did. I tried and I tried and I tried again and I could not come up with a conclusion. I just want to know from all of you. Tell me your stories. Not because I'm a genius with unanswered questions, because I'm a friend who has fought every single day since you left to find you, I'm a friend who didn't give up on you all, no matter how far you went. I want to know so I can tell Riley and Smackle that all that I've done and all that I've sacrificed was worth it. Tell me you are all still worth it. Of course you're still worth it."

In the first breath since he started, you could feel everything. Everything Farkle has felt since he last saw the trio: sadness, pain, regret, tiredness, confusion, anger, denial and maybe even a slight tinge of guilt. Maybe that was just Maya's guilt consuming her thoughts.

"What happened." Every syllable was shaky. He was frantically searching for his friends and looking for something that gave him a clue.

"I went too far."  
"I had no choice."  
"I tried to help him."

And, just like that, he found them.

They spent hours talking about their individual stories and constantly apologising for not coming to Farkle sooner. In turn, Farkle talked about how he found them and how his life turned out. Maya couldn't help but think that his life turned out so great because she wasn't their to drag him down, hold him back and prevent him from doing the thing he loved.

Once it got too emotional for any of them to handle, they decided to stop talking for the night. It was midnight and Farkle had insisted that they slept at his house through the night, and the boys were too happy to see Farkle that they would never refuse. Maya thought it would give her time to escape.

Zay and Lucas were watching a film in the cinema room whilst Maya and Farkle sat in the kitchen.

"Riley wanted to be here today you know?" Farkle smiled warmly. "She wanted you to know that no matter what you do, you'll always be her peaches."

 _She still believes in me. No matter what. And I believe in her. I believed that she would go far in life if I wasn't in it and she did. I just- I can't believe she thinks- knows. I can't believe she knows that she impacted me so much that a small piece of Rileytown still live within me. Thunder. Lightning..._

"I lost the ring." Maya spoke. That's all it was. Words. With no power behind them, no feeling. She couldn't do it. If she did it, then every single emotion Maya has felt since she lost the ring will appear. Maya was a strong person, but she wasn't that strong. Numbness filled her body whilst feeling and emotion engulfed every single thought she had.

"No matter what, Maya. She made you a spare anyway." Farkle chuckled lightly, "Besides, we're both glad you're here, she always said she couldn't get married without your approval of the man."

"I couldn't think of anyone better to be her husband." Maya uncontrollably giggled at the thought of her two bestfriends spending the rest of their lives together. "Besides, she said she would never settle for anyone less than Farkle. And I guess she finally discovered that nobody could ever be more than Farkle."

"Could you repeat that? She probably wont take my word for it so we will have to record it. Unless you want to tell her yourself in a couple days when she gets back from her parents house?"

"Is there any other answer other than of course I want to tell her!" And just like that, Maya disregarded any plan of running away again. Hide and seek was a child's game anyway.


End file.
